Final Blow
| Final Blow | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Taito |
| Publisher(s) | Taito |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, 2 player Competitive |
| Cabinet | Horizontal |
| Sound | Amplified Mono |
| Display | Raster 320x224 |
Final Blow is a boxing arcade game created in 1988 by Taito. The name would remain the same for all ported platforms, except for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis versions, which Sega released outside Japan as James 'Buster' Douglas Knockout Boxing featuring Buster Douglas himself in 1990 immediately after his victory over Mike Tyson.
Story
The game features a single season boxing championship run. You can select from a group of fictional fighters: Dynamite Joe - The Miracle Man, Fernando Gomez - The South American Eagle, Kim Nang - The Korean Comet, King Jason - The Black King, The Detroit Kid, The Invincible Black Panther.
Gameplay
The game is essentially a side scrolling boxing game where the player moves left and right to control a screen sized boxer. When the timing is right, the player can unleash a final blow punch which can sometimes KO the opponent in a single strike. The home versions contained a spectator mode where the player can watch their favorite boxers compete.
Port
The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis port is very close to the arcade counterpart in every aspect of gameplay, graphics and sound, with two additional boxers added: James Buster Douglas (who was The Detroit Kid renamed and palette swapped) and Ironhead. A Sega Master System game starring Douglas was also released in 1991, but was not based on Final Blow. It was instead a rehash of Rocky sporting updated graphics and choice of fighter selection.
The Genesis version was one of the key games used to market the Genesis console as part of the Genesis Does Campaign, particularly since Nintendo used Mike Tyson for its Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! video game, whom Douglas had challenged and defeated that year. Mega placed the game at #9 in their list of the 10 Worst Mega Drive Games of All Time.[1]
References
- ↑ Mega magazine issue 1, page 85, Future Publishing, Oct 1992